Magic, Madness, Heaven, Sin
by SomethingSophisticated
Summary: In the ruins of a long forgotten country, the country of Tresa arose. A hundred years later the monarchy is coming undone, to secure her family line Queen Elizavetta creates The Selection to ensure her nephew finds a wife and has an heir. But Prince Asher is playing a different game and if the thirty-five girls want to make it out alive they have to play too.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

The weekly report starts, Queen Elizavetta is sitting on her throne looking radiant as usual.

"As many of you know nineteen years ago my husband and Asher's parents were killed in a coup," Queen Elizavetta says, "And ever since the country has worried about the future of the monarchy. But I am pleased to say I was quick on feet and started to work on The Selection. The Selection will bring a girl from all thirty-five provinces between the ages sixteen and twenty to the Palace and Asher will pick one to be his wife. Nineteen years ago I sent a trusted advisor to each province and they have been hiding under cover finding the right girl to represent the provinces. This week they will send me a report on who they have picked and next week they will be announced on The Report. Know that if you are picked your attendance is mandatory by law and your families will be paid a large sum for giving their daughter away to the royal family. I can't wait to see who my people have picked. See you next week Tresa" Queen Elizavetta says and the TV screen goes dark.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One – Prince Asher**

**Lord Luca's POV **

I found Asher in the Garden with his two best friends Duke Maverick of Germatria and Prince Rahart of Indis. They were laughing and drinking. Figures Asher, who had only been at the palace for a week could already be making trouble. A maid was standing in front a target board and I watched as Asher throws a knife at her, I cringe for a second, but it misses the girl on purpose.

"If you can't stand still I may hit you" Asher taunts and throws another one closer to the girl. It barely misses her ear, I hear her let out a whimper.

"Asher your aunt has requested your presence, the reports on the girls have come. She thinks you would like to see them." I say positioning myself in front of the girl so he won't throw another.

"Tell me Luca" Asher starts "How is my aunt's bed, do you keep it warm for her?"

"Yes how is the Queen's bed?" Rahart asks

I shut my eyes and take a deep breathe, I am not ashamed of how I got to my position and I never will be.

"You aunt wants to see you in her office," I say repeating my message

"Yeah, yeah just let me finish with this girl," Asher says and I step aside knowing I can't protect her.

Asher throws a few more knives they all miss her, but the last one cuts the top of her arm.

"Next time make sure my breakfast is at my room at 7:30 not 7:35" Asher yells at the poor girls "worthless tramp." He adds

He then marches off to his aunt's office. I turn to Rahart and Maverick to see them eyeing the girl like a piece of meat.

"Leave before I have you sent back to your countries," I tell them

"You can't talk to us like that," Maverick says

"Yeah, were friends of Asher's," Rahart says, "And he said we could enjoy the maids anyway way we wanted."

"Really because I am sleeping with the Queen and if I ask I can have you sent home. I have a feeling she will agree, since Maverick you're only a Duke and Rahart you're fifth in line to the throne. And you could distract Asher when the girls come, and my guess is you want to be here when thirty-five girls are here." I say standing up straighter as they shrink "And here me now if you touch one of the girls and ruin her chances I will personal cut off your hands."

Maverick and Rahart give each other a look then start to walk off either to their rooms or to find somewhere else to drink, probably the second one.

"Filthy whore" Maverick calls and I am not sure if it's directed at me or the girl.

I then walk over to the girl who has crumbled to the ground crying and help her stand up and whip off her tears. I walk her to one of the servant's doors. A higher up servant opens the door when I knock.

"Have Miss Pal looked at and have her job changed. Make sure someone more punctual is bringing Prince Asher breakfast for now on." I tell him

"Of course Lord Luca." He tells me and takes the girl and shuts the door.

I enter the palace through another door, where Lord Bentley is waiting for me.

"I have copies of the thirty-five girl's reports, it would be best to review them now and memorize the girl's names." He tells me

"Yes, of course," I say and we make our way to our shared office

"So where were you?" Bentley asks

"Helping a poor maid that got on Asher bad side," I tell him and he shrugs his shoulder. Bentley never really cared about what Asher did to the help.

"Once you get older you will come to see that the only life you need to worry about is your own." He tells me

When we enter the office both are desks have stacks of papers on them.

"Lambs for the slaughter," I say picking up the first folder


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two – Whose More Powerful a Lawyer or a Queen?**

**Regina`s POV**

"How is the studying going?" my little sister Yasmin asks me

I have been studying for my next test for the past week and haven't really moved much from my seat. From Yasmin I had heard something about the prince looking for a wife and that a boy from my college had been locked out of his house and lost two toes and that mom was suing the lock company and dad was defending them.

"Good," I tell her

"Well, Mom says you need to shower and change." She tells me as I eye my textbook

"For what?" I ask not wanting to stop studying.

"The mayor is having a party to celebrate the Selection announcement tonight."

"The Selection?" I ask and she rolls her eyes

"The prince finding a wife thing." She explains

"Oh"

"Yeah well, get ready; I will meet you in the car." She says walking out of my study.

I shower and quickly change into my party dress. I throw on my jacket and run to the car were the rest of my family is waiting.

"Doesn't your sister look fantastic Yasmin?" My mother says as we pull out of the driveway onto the freshly plowed road, you would never guess that it was the first week of July by all the snow, but that was Bilk for you.

"Yeah, I guess," Yasmin says

At the mayor's mansion, the mayor quickly pulls my parents over to ask them for some advice. I walk around the ballroom with Yasmin until I bumped into my professor.

"Regina I glad you came to the party." He tells me

"Well, I rather be studying for your test," I admit to him

"Regina you're only young once have a drink, go dance with a boy, have some fun." He tells me and then walks off to talk to a friend

I do take a glass of champagne and down it quickly. I then find Yasmin and two other girls talking at a table.

"I hope that I am picked," Yasmin's red headed friend says and the other girl giggles

I can tell you now she won't be, I don't know what the criteria for being picked are but the red head has poor skin and the other friend looks as though she has the I.Q. of a pigeon. Yasmin is the only real choice, but I rather she not go.

It's about then that a screen starts to come down on the stage and the Report begins. Sebastian Daily face is projected on the screen.

"Good Evening Tresa, This is a super special Report as this is the first time you will see our future Queens face, of course, it will appear with thirty-four other girls but I know we will know her when we see her face," Sebastian says, "These girls are only known by select few; even our dear Prince has never seen their faces." The camera pans to Queen Elizavetta and Prince Asher's faces. He has a smirk on his face that tells me he has. "Well let's get started."

The room goes dead silent as the names start coming out and showing the faces of the girl. I hear someone take a deep breath as it is Bilk's turn.

"Regina Law, 3, Bilk," Sebastian says and my picture from my student I.D. appears on the screen.

Yasmin is the first to congratulate me but soon everyone is until they are all crowd around me. My mom quickly breaks me out of the crowd and drags me out to the car without even letting me put on my jacket. Yasmin and my father are quick to join us in the car too.

"I don't want to go; I want to be a lawyer, not a play thing," I complain

"Don't be so dramatic Regina, it's mandatory so you have to go" My mother says while fixing her makeup in the car mirror "beside which is more powerful a lawyer or a Queen."


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three – What a Queen Wants**

**Lord Luca's POV**

Bentley and I had spent the last week committing the girls' files to memory. There were the ones that I knew for a fact Asher would send home as soon as possible, so I didn't spend much time on their files as I did others. I had already taken a few favorites and if I was betting man I would assume that Bentley and the Queen had too, Asher hadn't looked at the files that much so I doubt he has any favorites, but that might be for the best. I hear Bentley let out a deep sigh and then lean back in his chair.

"Do you think any of them are Princess material?" Bentley asks me taking a break from work.

"Who is your favorite?" I ask him, knowing that this is what he wanted me to ask him.

"I'm in a tie between Aylee Swift the two. She is young enough that she can still be molded into a proper Queen without much trouble and Tresa already loves her from her silver medal win in the Olympics last year. But then there is Regina Law she is a three becoming a lawyer, so you know she has to be smart because very few girls actually get to go to college and it's important to have a clever Queen. She is also very easy on the eyes. What about you?"

"I'm thinking Emma Baker."

"The reality star, whose family is basically one big joke," Bentley says

"Don't let the show fool you, she was always labeled as the smart one and has a knack for learning languages. Two years ago she was in Indis teaching the cousins of the royal family English, and last year she was in Spain teaching the youngest Princess sign language since she was engaged to the Prince of England who was born hard hearing. She basically has connection to a royal family that we need connection with. Plus her family is huge, giving clear signs that she is more than capable to have multiple heirs which is what the Queen is looking the most in these girls, after all." I say and Bentley looks genuinely impressed by my choice.

There is a knock on the door then and it's pretty late in the night so I don't think either of us were expecting it.

"You may enter," Bentley says and Elizavetta's night maid Avene open the door.

"The Queen request you're present in her royal chambers Lord Luca," Avene tells me and I push aside my papers and get up to join Avene.

Outside Avene hands me a pair a pajamas. "You may want to change before you go. The Queen has been having a hard time sleeping lately." She tells me

After I change, I make my way to the Queen chamber. I don't even bother knocking because I already know she is expecting me. When I open the door she is lying in her bed.

"You look so much like him." She says to me, which is a statement I have heard her say to me a million times since I was fourteen. "Do you love your Queen?" she asks me

"Of course," I tell her and she sits up in her bed and pats the empty side of the bed motioning for me to join her. Which I do.

"I need you to do something for me Luca." She says

"Anything," I tell her

"Imogen is busying getting things ready for the girls' arrival and doesn't have time to plan Asher's birthday party. I was thinking since you and Asher were the same age you would know the kind of party Asher would like and that you could plan it." She explains

"Of course it will be ready by the time the girls get here," I tell her

"Thank you, Luca." She says and lays back down and I lay down next to her

She pushes a piece of hair out of me face. "I love you Osten," she says before falling asleep.

The next morning I untangle myself from the Queen's embrace and start work on Asher's birthday party which was in three days.

**Author's Note**

**So I still need TWO more girls, before this story can really get started. Also, I updated the website for the story and it now how has pictures of all the royals, some of the higher up royal workers, and Prince Asher's Pets in the story. **


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four – The Family Unit **

**Emma's POV**

"Are you going to be a princess?" Molly the youngest in our family clan asks me as I back the one bag that I am allowed to bring.

"Probably not Molls," I tell her stuffing my favorite book in my bag.

"Will you be gone long like last time?"

"I don't know Molly," I tell her

"Then as long as you were gone when I was four?" Her question stops me in my tracks as I remember what I did when I was thirteen.

"We don't talk about that Molly," I tell her rather coldly

"Knock, knock," My mother says at my bedroom door "I hope you saved room in that bag for a box of my homemade cookies."

"Of course," I tell her as I turn around to face her and notice the camera's behind her. The general rule was that they weren't allowed in our rooms, but I guess since I was leaving for the Selection they were going to make the exception.

"Come on the car is waiting." She says and she picks up Molly. I sling the small bag over my shoulders. Were walk past Molly's room when she lets out a shriek and make mom put her down. She runs into her room and come out seconds later with her favorite penguin stuffed animal.

"Take this with you Emma." She says as she hands it to me

"Don't worry Molly I will take good care of it," I say finding a spot for it in my bag.

Mom picks up Molly again and they make their way downstairs with the camera following them. I take a moment to catch my breath and straighten out the black skirt that was part of the uniform I was given to wear today and I make my way to the top of the stairs. When I look down both my parents are there as well as my twelve siblings and a few dozen cameras' for the TV show. I make my way downstairs and mom and dad rush to hug me.

"Make us proud," Dad says

"I love you so much." Mom says and hands me the box of cookies.

Next I'm faced with my siblings, I hug Alyssa first, she was already seven months pregnant with triplets, her husband was a rock star and on tour. Alyssa would be there with him if she wasn't a balloon currently.

"Don't have them till I'm back," I tell her

"I don't think they can wait that long," she tells me

I hug Bailey next; she is crying so much that we don't say much. Chris and Dylan give my side hugs and tell me that if the Prince hurts me that I know who to call. Freddie and I hug for a long time it's then that I catch a glimpse of the kitchen were the six of us had celebrated our nineteenth birthday last night since I was leaving today, it was a wreck.

I quickly hug Grace, Hank, Ian, Jillian, Katie, and Luke. And I save the biggest hug for little Molly.

"Can you do that again, I think I missed it." A camera man says as I put Molly down and I just roll my eyes

"Sorry, I have a plane to catch," I tell him, both my parents give me one last hug and I take in the sounds of our house. Someone was loudly crying, someone was fighting with someone else, and someone calling mom. Just the usual sounds of the Baker household.

"I'll be back soon," I tell them and I run out to the car waiting to take me to the airport.

At the airport, crowds of people are waiting and the mayor is there making a speech on a stage outside the airport. A man in a black suit all but pushes me onto the stage and I'm able to hear the tail end of his speech.

"We have all grown up watching Emma Baker and we'd be honored to watch her become a queen." He says and turns to me signaling for me to come up and talk.

"Thank you," I tell "Good morning everyone, I'm so honored that you all came out to see me off. My family had wished they could have come but they would have filled up the whole airport and I would have never been about to get out." I say joking and get a few laughs. "I am incredibly honored to represent Torrey at the palace. I hope to do you proud, Torrey."

Then the same man who put me on the stage pushes me into the airport as the mayor finishes the speech. The man doesn't leave my side until I'm on the plane. Inside the plane, a man in his late thirties in a well-tailored is waiting for me.

"Good your on time. Jack let's get this in the air." He says to the pilot "Lord Tomas, I was the one who picked you to represent Torrey in the Selection." He says as an introduction and he takes a seat in one of the seats of the planes and motion for me to sit next to him.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions but we have more pressing matters to talk about before I answer them." He says as I sit down next to him "First you should know that I will be your escort at the Palace and will remain there as long as you need me."

He pulls two folders out of a brief case he has and hands one to me, inside is a file on the Royal family and a few other people. "I need you to memorize all of these people before we get to the Palace."

"I won't have enough time to do that," I tell him

"I have risked a lot to give you all the information that is in that folder, very few of the other escorts have this information and I believe giving it to you will give you an edge. So you have too."

"But I don't want to win; I don't want to be Queen," I say and Lord Tomas face hardens

"Emma listens to me, you need to win. When you were Selected you became the property of the Royal family. Which means once you stepped on this plane you lost all of your freedoms." He says and my stomach turns and I feel sick.

"Emma if Asher doesn't pick you, the Queen will marry you to who she chooses. And nineteen years ago she promised thirty-five boys if they would dedicate their lives to finding contestants for the Selection and bring them to the Palace on Prince Asher nineteenth birthday, they could marry them once Asher had eliminated them. And I'm going to go out and say you don't want to marry a thirty-eight-year-old man and I personally don't want to marry a nineteen-year-old girl. But I will obey my Queens orders and she will require us to marry if he doesn't pick you. So you must win." At this point, my head is spinning as he finishes and I know I'm going to be sick. He then hands me a bag and I throw up in it. An attendant quickly comes and takes it when I'm done and hands me a warm rag and leaves.

"Ready to work" he ask me and I nod my head but I can't speak "First off is Queen Elizavetta, all she wants is an heir. She will never care about you so don't buy into her being nice or kind to you. You will just be a pawn for her if chosen. But I don't think we have to worry about your childbearing ability's as your mother had thirteen children and you sister is pregnant with triplets and has only been married for a year. Don't ever believe that Asher is actually picking who wins; the Queen will manipulate him into picking the one she wants. So it is of the utmost importance that you stay in the Queens favor." He tells me

"Next is Prince Asher, He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Don't fall for his charm. He spent his childhood bouncing around chateaus in Europe for his protection and then spent his teen years in military school in Russia. He moved into the palace a few weeks ago. All reports say he has flirted with multiple maids and done other things with them. Emma, Asher likes games so that what you're going to have to do, you're going to have to play games with him, if you want to win." Lord Tomas tells me

"Then there is Lord Bentley and Lord Luca. They are the Queens right-hand men she trust them so you must at least get one of them on your side. Rumor has it Lord Luca is constantly in bed with the Queen as he bare great resemblance to King Osten. After them is Imogen Plan, she is the royal planner and will be watching you girls throughout the whole competition. She will be teaching you etiquette and history, she will be reporting to the Queen on how you girls are doing. Do the best you can around her. Finally is Sebastian Daily. He controls the public image of the Royal family and will control yours as well. Stay on his good side. Did you get all that?" he ask me as he finishes.

"Yes" I say

"Good you look like you need a drink." He says and pushes a button and attendant appears again. "Drinks" he tells her and she quickly comes back with to glasses full of a clear liquid. I sniff it when she hand it to me.

"Vodka" I say

"The Prince's favorite drink." He says, "cheers" we touch glasses and I down the whole glasses. They contents burn my throat but it dull my headache. Everything feels good for a second but then I realize that my hands fill numb and I find it hard to keep my eye open. I turn to Lord Tomas who looks fine and it dawns on me.

"You drugged me. Why?" I slur

"I'm sorry Emma, her majesty's orders." Lord Tomas says and then the world goes dark.

I don't know how much time has passed but I open my eyes, I can't move but I can see even if it is incredibly blurry. The room is all white and there is a girl on a table next to me, which only makes me assume that I am also on a table too.

"She is good." I hear someone say to someone else.

"Good" the other responds and then they walk to the girl on the table next to me, I can't be sure but I think one of them is the Queen and the other must be a doctor.

"And this one?" The Queen asks

"Not a virgin." The doctor tells the Queen and she strokes the girls face.

"Shame" she says put something out and runs it across the girls throat. Everything goes red and I want to scream but I'm not capable of doing so. "Have Lord Dominic taken care off." The Queen tell the doctor and they walk off out of my view. And everything goes black again

The next time I wake up screaming. And a woman comes running in.

"Lady Emma please stop screaming" she says "you must have had a bad dream."

"Who are you?" I ask

"I'm your head maid Maddox Pal; you fell asleep on the plane and were taken to your room once you arrived at the Palace so you could finish resting." She says and curtseys.

"I'm at the Palace?" I ask and she nods and I take in the room, it pink and purple and very well furnished.

"If you're ready we'd like to start getting you ready for his majesty's birthday party tonight." Maddox says and I wish I could believe it was just a dream but I have a feeling it wasn't.

"Can you believe five girls already sent home for not being virgins." A girl around my age says to another girl who must have been fifteen or sixteen.

"Lady Emma, your awake." The one says and they both curtsey

"Emma this is Ekaterina and Helena Pal, your other maids," Maddox says, "now girls we need to get Emma ready for the party we don't have much time.

I'm quickly yanked out of bed and find myself without clothes on in seconds. Five girls were dead and I was going to have to get it together if I didn't want to be like them.

"So what I'm I wearing?" I ask

"You're not going to like it," Ekaterina says


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five – A Little Party Never Killed Nobody**

**Natalie's POV**

"Are you ready, Lady Natalie?" My escort, Lord Tybalt asks as my maids finished getting me ready. My maids, that is so weird to think about, just a week ago I was a maid and nowhere near being a Lady and now here I am in the Palace.

"I don't think so," I tell him, taking in my reflection; I was wearing a white nightgown, no shoes and my hair in a bun. I honestly thought I would be wearing a ball gown and fine jewelry.

"I think you look great," Lord Tybalt tells me "All the selected girls are wearing nightgown too so there nothing to worry about. Now we should get going you may be one of the last girls announced because of your caste number, but punctuality is important for a lady."

"Good luck," My head maid Maria says, "Were rooting for you,"

"Thank you," I tell her as I take Lord Tybalt's arm

We walk in silence to the ballroom doors where a man is waiting to open the doors for us.

"Lady Natalie May, and her escort Lord Tybalt." The man announces us to the room, and I quickly want to run the other way. The richest of the rich of Tresa filled the room in colorful expensive ball gowns. The other selected girls stick out in this crowd to in their white nightgowns, which I can only guess was the point of it.

Lord Tybalt pulls me down the stairs and into the party.

"I'm going to join the Queen if you need anything come find me," Lord Tybalt tells me then walks off leaving me alone.

I find myself against the wall watching the other selected girls around the rooms with a glass of champagne to calm me. One of them I recognize as Aylee Swift from her performance in the Olympics, she is gracefully dancing in the middle of the ballroom with her escort Lord Ulric who is considerably younger than the other escorts', he has to only be a few years older than the prince.

"Fun in the corner isn't it?" A girl asks me, she a selected girl too, her nightgown is lace so I know she upper castes, her hair is a messy ponytail, and she is wearing bright red lipstick. It takes me a minute to recognize her, but I quickly recognize her from her show.

"Emma Baker?" I say, but it somehow comes out as a question.

"Yeah." She says

"Why are you talking to me?" I ask

"Were both selected girls, aren't we?" she says and I nodded my head "So I think, your one of the best people I can talk to." She takes a sip of whatever is in her glass and I do the same, but Emma takes mine from my hands and gives me her.

"Don't drink it will only make you sloppy." She says and it makes me curious as to what she has just handed to me. I take a swig and it just carbonated water.

"You'll thank me later." She says

"Have you talked to the Prince yet?" I ask her

"No, I'm waiting for just the right moment." She tells me and I spy the Prince across the room standing with two boys his age and one of the girls the selected girls holding onto his arm in a loving way, but the way she stands just says "come talk to the Prince I dare you." I don't recognize her.

"Regina Law," Emma tells, "She cut her short and I will admit that it does make her look like a royal."

Emma takes a deep sight and sets the glass of champagne down on a table. "Now is as good as any." She tells me and I watch her walks across the ballroom to the Prince. But she walks right past the Prince without even acknowledging him, and starts to talk to one of Prince Asher's friends. Not a minute later the boy is escorting Emma to the dance floor. Is she crazy, does she know that she just ignored the Prince to dance with some other boy? I quickly turn to see the Prince's reaction, he is watching Emma and I realize this is what she wanted. He peels Regina off his arm and walks over to Emma and the boy. The boy quickly steps away and lets Prince Asher dance with Emma. She giggles and he pulls her into the dance. They dance for the whole song and when it ends Emma curtsies and walks back over to me. She takes her glass of carbonated water from me.

"And that's how it done." She tells me and drinks the whole contents of the glass. The Prince makes his way over to us.

"Lady Natalie," he says ignoring Emma "Would you like to dance?" he asks me

"Yes, of course my Prince" I say and we head to the dance floor and I turn around to look at Emma to see if she is mad that the Prince didn't acknowledge her, but she has a smirk and she walks off to talk to another selected girl.

"You were a maid? is that correct." Prince Asher asks me as we start to dance

"Yes your majesty," I tell him

"Did you know I enjoy the company of maids? They always know just what I want." He tells me

"That is the job," I say

"Do want to see something?" he tells me

"Sure" I hesitantly say

We exit the ballroom and he takes me to an empty hall with lots of paintings. I'm about to ask him what he wants to show me, but I quickly find myself being pushed against the wall by Prince Asher. He starts to kiss my roughly, I don't like it. I never envisioned my first kiss like this. I feel Asher's hands travel down me. And I quickly push him off of me and tell him to stop. Without a second thought, he slaps me hard and I found myself on the ground.

"I am the Prince and future King; you don't to get to decide when I stop. Understand," he says and I'm scared but then the Queen appears from nowhere.

"Asher, the cake is here the guest wish to wish you a happy birthday." She says and then gives me a look, but the expressing says she going to pretend she didn't even see me.

"You are nothing," Asher says and then starts to walk back the ballroom but stops "Are you coming Lady Natalie," He says.

I don't want to, but I get up and join him on the way back to the ballroom.

**Esther's POV**

"Did you see where the Prince and Lady Natalie went?" Emma asks me considered

"No," I tell her looking around the room and see them reentering the ballroom with the Queen. I wonder what that's all about. "There she is," I tell Emma and she seems to relax.

I watch the girl from Elara chug down another drink like the world is running out of alcohol.

"If she has one more drink, I think I'm going to throw up." I tell Emma

"I never thought so one so small could hold so much alcohol." Emma says and we both laugh

"Lady and Gentleman" A man says as a giant cake is brought into the room

Everyone gather around it, the girl from Elara stands next to me looking like she is about to collapse and Prince Asher appears by the cake with Queen Elizavetta.

"My dear Nephew, I am so glad to have you home to celebrate your nineteenth birthday, and hopefully by this time next year your princess, a girl in this room will be standing next to you," The Queen says and this gains applause "and will have already have had an heir to solidify your position as King of Tresa. Happy Birthday Asher, your parents would be proud of you."

Everyone cheers "Happy Birthday" to Prince Asher and he is about to blow out his candle but stops.

"Lady Emma" he says and Emma, who has spent the whole time looking at Natalie, turns to face him.

"Yes your majesty" she says

"Would you like to join me?" he says it as a question but it comes off as a command. Emma hesitates but does, I look at a few of the other selected girls and they look ready to kill Emma.

"Some of you may not know this but Emma turned nineteen yesterday, and since she spent her birthday on a plane to join us at the palace, I think it would only be fair if she joins me in making a birthday wish," Prince Asher says and I see Emma's escort across the ballroom with a look of pride on his face for Emma.

"I would be honored," Emma says and they blow out the candle together when it's over Emma looks at me and in a blink of the eye the girl from Elara throws up on me. Emma and Prince Asher are over by us in a second. The Elara girl starts to cry and Emma holds her up and asks her if she is okay.

"Are you okay Lady Esther?" Prince Asher asks me.

"Yes, of course," I say and he turns to the Elara girl "We should get you to the doctor." He tells her "Lord Luca" he calls and a boy Prince Asher's age with two different eye colors joins us.

"Yes your majesty" he says and bows

"Take Lady Esther to her room so she can be cleaned up." He says "Everyone else please go back to partying."

Lord Luca walks me back to my room.

"Where are your maids?" Lord Luca asks when we enter my room.

"I didn't think I would need them again tonight so I gave them the night off." I tell him

And he lets out a sigh "Don't do that again" he tells me and pulls a robe off the bathroom door and hands it to me "I will get you bath ready, change out of your nightgown, while I'm doing it." Lord Luca then walks into the bathroom and shuts the door so I can change.

Once I'm out of my puke covered dress and it to the clean robe, I open my balcony door and go outside and I am welcomed by the warm summer air. I have a view of the one of the many gardens and spot Prince Asher and the Elara girl out in it.

"Just stand there," I think I hear Asher say and the Elara girl stands still. I watch him walk over and grab something; I think it's a bow. And not a second later an arrow flies through the girls chest and I'm going to scream but a hand wraps itself over my mouth "Don't scream" he say and he pulls me back into the room. I turn around to face Lord Luca.

"You can't say anything or you're going to end up like her." He tells me "I'm going to help get as many of you girls out of the palace alive as possible, but you can't say anything ever if you want to be one of them."

_All the eight girls will appear in the next few chapter, so please be patient if your girl hasn't shown up yet. but if you're wondering what your girl wore to the ball, I have pictures posted on the website. _


End file.
